Combined bumper and brush attachment for vehicles



Aug. 9,1927. 1,638,641

T. O BRIEN COMBINED BUMPER AND BRUSH ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES Filed Nov. 9, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 U 1 U I I I I X \c; t W -"-n' I INVENTOR:

. 1,638,641 Aug. 9, T. OBR-IEN COMBINED BUMPER AND 'BRUSH 'ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES Filed Nov. 9. 1926 2' sh ets-sh et'z INVENTOR BY I ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 9, 1927.

HOM S, OBRIEQYNV, or PHILADELPHIA, P NnsYnvAiiiALfl coraBINEnBUMPEaANn BRUSH ATTACHMENT FOR VEH CLES;

Application filed November My invention relates to a new and useful combined bumper and brush att'acl iment for vehicles as self propelled vehicles, and it relates more particularly to a novel, siiinplified construction of a brushattaehment and hollow bumper. which will afford maximum protection in case of collision or impact,

will not add materially to the dead weight of the vehicle andwillbe relatively inex- 110V pensive to manufacture.

My invention further relates to a novel hollow bumper construction of universalapplicability, which may be equally well 'apin operative position iniront of eachfront wheel of vehicle, thereby to clear the-road of any dbris that may injure thepneum'at1c tires, such as tacksynails, broken glass'or:

which may endanger or retard the safe progand theli ke. 7

Another feature of my. inventionresides in actuating or operating the brush attachment of my novelconstruction froina point in proximity to and withineasy reach of the driver of the vehicle withoutin any way interi ering with the mechanism thereof,- or

ress ot a vehicle, such asisnow, slush nnud whereby the brushes may be thrown into or withdrawn from the operative position will. and without the necessity of stopping the vehicle; or in any wayinterferin'g with the. progress thereof. I

Myinvent-ion also contemplates the provision of novel means for regulating and adjusting the-height of the brushes with' respect to the surfaceofthe' road,'thus not only rendering the same 'adjustable as the varying character of'the road mayrequire, but also rendering it jposs-ib'le' completely to use up the brush; that is, until the bristles thereof are completely worn out, thus effecting considerable economy in the use and consumption of the brushes.

'Another object of my. invention is to pro: vide a novelniechanism, whereby the'brushes may be thrown into or withdr'awnfrom the operative position instantaneously, thus' 'en abling the driver of the vehicleto use'th-econsistsfof agnovel hollow bumper construe? bumper,- wherebyabrush is adj usta'bly held "practice satistactory and; reliable results, occupyinga nyspace within the same, and 7 limited 'tothe precise arrangement and "OIgaH-IZQUO'II of these mstruinental-ities as herein shown and deseribed;

brushes for relatively short periods or in- ,teryals, when and-"as required, thereby eliminating" all unnecessary wear or use of a said brushes; Other objects and features of my invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in connection' with the accompanying drawings. 7 7

With the above ends in View, my invention tion, suitably secured to the front portion of the vehicle or its chassis,- a pair "or brushes carried the respectiveend sof said bumper 1n" alignment with the twofr'on-t wheels of said vehicle mea ns yieldab l y to maintaii-r sa icl'brush'es 1n the operative or lower posi- I 'tion'with respect to the road; actuating means to raise or withdraw the'brushesf from the lower operative position; meansto! protectthe bristles of said brusl' i'es, mea M to space apart said bristles and maintain the same in the spread condition,- rn ean'si'to ad 'just the height .of said brushes with respect to the surface of the road, means to 1st and predeterminetheupward and d(" wn"-;-'v

ward movement of saidbruslies'asi the same are ra-ised' or withdrawn from the lower operative position into the upper inoperative 'po'sitio'n and devices for, locking said ac:- itu'a'tin g means in any desired position.

485 For the purpose of illustrating my inven tion; I have shown in the accompanying;

di lrin'gsforms thereof which are at present preferred by me, since they. w1:llgive in; m althouglrfit' is fto be un'(lers..oo(l1 that the various instrumenta'lities offivhich my in{ i vention consists can be remotely; arranged and organizedfa nd thatmy invention 1s not Inthe' accompanying drawings," Flgure 1- represents a perspective view of I an automobile equipped vwithanovel com-- biiiedbuniper and brush attachment, em- 7 bodying'my invention.

Figure 2' represents a'Vie-w partly 'sec-" tion and partly in elevation "of the combined bumper and brush attachment secured to the front portion of a chassis. Q Figure '3 represents a vertical sectional view online 3%3 ofFigua-eef 2."

Figure 4 represents a top plan view of Figure 2. V V

Fi ure '5 represents partly in elevation my 'nevel construction loo int

7 lio' yin s'eetion, and ;'v

I mechanism for actuating the same. 'Flgure 6 represents a sectional of bumper and brush attachment and the T reference characters indicate like parts, 1

designates the chassis of a vehicle equipped 10 7 attachmentembodying my invention. 2

with the combined bumper and brush designates the springs and 3-the wheels. To

each of the springs 2 is secured the rear or inner-rend of the bracket 5 by means of the bolts or other fastening means 6. The brackets 5 comprise the rear vertical arm 7 and the horizontal arm 8, the latter being ,curved V upwardly and inwardly and terminating in the front vertical portion 9... Resting on said horizontal arm 8 and secured to the vertical arm by the bolt 10 is V the hollow bumper4fbetween which and the inner vertical arm 7 is interposed thespring 11, also carried by the bolt 10, said spring impartingresiliency to the bumper 4 aswill beunderstood from Figure 6. The bolt 10,

i passing through the arm 9 and the bumper 44 carrying the spring 11 extends through the arm7 [and is held in placeby the threaded nut 12, which also serves to regulate the tension of the spring 11 Within the hollow tubular bumper 4 are positioned the pulleys 13 over which pass 7 the cords or similar flexible connections 15 and 16 which extend inwardly through the centrally disposed bent pipe 17 and merge into the single cord 14, detachably connected :to the outer end of thehorizontal rod 18,

the inner end of which'threadedly engages the outerend of therod 19. The'inner end Y of the latter is pivoted as at 20 to the lower end of the lever 20 fulcrumed at the point 21 and retained in any desired position by Figure 5. The lever 20, the pawl 22 and the chassis in proximity to and within easy V understood from Figure 1.

the spring pressedpawl 22 cooperating with the ratchet 23' as will be understood from ratchet 23 are located at a suitable point on reach of the driver of the vehicle, as will be The cords 15 and 16 emerge tubular bumper 4 at the points 24 and carry at their extremities the brushes and their adjunct-s 25 mounted on the rod 26 and comprising the upper and lower discs or plates 27 and 28 between which are tightly clamped the bristles 29 by means of the nuts 30 and 31 respectively engaging the lower end of said rod 26. The washer 32 is spaced from the plate 28 by the spacing member 33,

said washer 32 serving-to separate and shred the bristles of said brush while the pendant verticalilangeor wall 34 of said plate 7 28' servesto. gather andreinforce the bristles 29 to protect the same against bending,

from the" waste-1 breaking or twisting. Thetransverse cotter pin or the like 47 serves to prevent the nut 31 \fromworking loose, as will be understood from Fig.3. Between, the nuts 35 and 36 is secured the oval or othershaped plate 37 provided with the aperture 38 in which is secured the outermost end of the cord 15 or 16 respectively, by means of the clamp 39,

the nuts 35 and 36 also serving to regulate the tension of the spring 40, the lower end of which bears against said nut 36 while the upper end thereof bears against. the lower end of the sleeve 41 eXtending through and secured to the bumper 4 by means'of the nuts and washers 42, 43, 44 and 45.1espectively, as will be understood from Figures 2 and 3. The rod 26 carrying the brush 25 adapted to slide upwardly or -telescope into said sleeve 41 against the tension of the spring when itlis desired to elevate the brush 25 and its adjuncts from engagejment withthe rod, in the manner herein- 46 designates a threaded after described. cap or closure engaging therespective ends of said bumper 4 and. closing I the same against the ingress of dust and other foreign n'iatters. v

The operation is as follows-:'

VVhen the lever 20 is in the backward position shown in dotted lines, Figure 1, the

. rods 19 and 18 are in their forward or outer most position and the spring 40 forces the brushes 25 downwardly into the, operative position, also shown in Figures 1, 2, and 5. When it is desired to elevate or withdraw the brushes 25 from engagement with the road,

the lever 20 is moved forward in-the direc- 'tion of the arrow, thus drawing the rods 19 and 1S and therefore the cord 14 and its branches 15 and 16 backwardly, thereby raising or withdrawing the brushes 18 from engagement with the road against the force of the spring 40. In this inoperative or upper position, the rod 26 carrying the brush 25 slides upwardly or telescopes into the sleeve 41, as will be understood from Figures v 2 and 3 The threaded portions of the rods 19 and 18 are of substantially the same length as the bristles 29 of the brush'25, so that as the latter get shorterby use and wear the rod 19 is gradually unthreaded from the rod 18,-thus increasing the length of the cords. 15 and 16 and thereby compensating for the decrease of the length of the bristles, and permitting the use of the brush until the bristles thereof are completely worn-out when anew brush is employed and the externally threaded portion ofthe' rod 191's.- again completelyithreaded into the internally threaded portion of the rod 18.

The sleeve '41 also acts as a guide and supportfor the brush 25 carried by the rod 26,- slidably mounted in said sleeve and engaged thereby at, all times.

"Thebumper 4 of my novel cons'tmiction is further calculated to afford *a maxim'um amount :of protection, since-,i-n addition-to its inherent resiliency, it bears againstthespring 11 and is 'secure'd to and carried by the resilient arms 9 and 7 of the bracket 5, which in turn is secured to the'resilient SpringflmembersQ on the chassis of thevehicle. My novel tubular. bumper 4 in addition to being light inpweight and simple in construction, also serves as a housing for the cords 15 and 16, of the brushes 25, thus producing an efficient, compact and neat arrangement, as is evident.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and'desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is V I I 1. In adevice of the character stated, a front, tubular bumper adapted for installation transversely upon a vehicle, vertical sleeves secured to. the outer ends of said bumper, rods carrying brushes at their lower ends and telescoping into said sleeves, pul-T leys in said bumper, cables 'extendingover said pulleys and through said tubular bumper and having their outer ends connected to said rods and brushes, and means connected to the inner ends of said cables for actuating said cables, rods 'andbrushes to raise'and lower the latter. I

2. In a device of the character stated, a

chassis, a downwardly andhorizontally extending tubularmember longitudinally disposedwith respect thereto and connected I with said tubular member and adapted forinstallation transversely upon'a vehicle, cy-.

therewith, a front tubular bumper connected for actuating said cables, rods and brushes,

ter, sleeves secured'to the outer ends of said to raise the latter against the force of said spring. 7

3. In a device of the character stated, a

chassis, a front transverse tubular bumper carried thereby, a downwardly and horizontally extending-tubular member connected with said bumper and said chassis andlon gitudinally disposed with respect to the latbumper, rods carrying adjustalme brushes attheir lower ends and vertically slidable in said sleeves, spring members carried by said rods and adapted to maintain said brushes in their lowermost positionwith respect to said sleeves, 'cablesfextending through said tubular member and through said bumper and havingth'eir outer ends connected to A said rodsandbrushes, actuating ma ma y n'ected 'to the inner ends -of sa d cables forff raising and lowering said rods and brushes, p 10* r and means to adjust the connec' cables to said act11atin:g',11'1eans.

" LIn' a device ofthe charactertion of said tally extending tubularmember connected with said bumper and said chassis and lonigi' tudlnally disposed with respect to the latter,

I I stated, chassis, a front tubular bumpertransversely II carried thereby, a'downwardly andrhorizon j j r vertical sleeves secured to the respective ends V of said bumper, rodsdetachably carrying brushes at their lower ends and vertically" slidable in said sleeves,a spring carried by I each of said rods intermediatesaid brushes I andthe lower'ends of said sleeves normally to maintain said brushes, in their lowermostposition with respect thereto, cables extending through said tubular member and said bumper andhaving I their outeroends con-j. nected to sald rods andbrushes, actuating means connected to, the inner ends of said. cables to raise and lowersaid brushes, and devices to lock said actuating meansin any desired position. i

5. In a device of the character statedra" chassis, a front tubular bumper transversely 7 carried thereby, a'ndhavmg a series of pulleys positioned'therein, a downw'ardly and horizontally extending tubular, member conf nected to said bumper and said chassis and longitudinally disposedgwith respect to the latter, vertical sleeves permanently securedto the respective endsof said bumper, rods carrying brushes at their lower ends and" telescoping in said sleeves, cables extending through said tubular member and said bumper and passing. over saiclpulleys, the outer ends of said cables being connected tosaid rods and brushes, and means connected to the inner cndsof said cables foractuating said cables, rods and brushes to raise and lower the latter. Q

6. The combination with an automobile chassis, of a tubular horizontal bumper yield;

ably carried by the front end thereof; a series of pulleys insaid bumper, a brush yieldab'ly and adjustably carried at each 'end 'of said bumper, actuating means icarriedby said chassis in proximity to the seat of the driver of said vehicle, means tolock said actuating means 1n any desired position, and adjustable means extending long tudinally of said ,chas-V sis and terminating in cables passing over i said pulleys and through said bumper to; connect saidactnating means to said brushes, thereby to raise and lower the latter atwill,

7. The combination with anautomobile chassis, of a tubular horizontal bumperyield ably carried by thefrontiend thereof, a series of pulleys in Said p a brush yieldably. H i i nd adjustablycarried at h v o said.

bumper, actuating means carriedyby said-v I 'ehassis inproximity tothe seatjof the driver 01 .v said vehicle-,- means to lock said actuating ineans in any'desired position and adjustable means extending longitudinally of vsaid chas- 5 sis and terminating in a cable passing" over saidpulleys and through said bu mper to connect sa d actuating means to sa d brushes 1 to raise and lower thesaineat will, each of said brushes coniprisinga ,rod, upper and lower. plates carried bythe lower threaded end of said 1.'od,'br1st1es clamped between ,said plates, anv annular pendant flange extending from the lower of said plates, to

protect said bristles against bendingand "breaking; a spa'cinginember adjustably'carried by the lower end of said rod and suitablyspaced from the lower ofsaid plates to ITHo 'A s OiBiiiENf 

